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I have tried Isopure (Dutch Chocolate), and it was pretty good. They also have an unflavored kind, that you can just put in anything to boost the Protein. The big draw for me is that it is lactose-free. I am mildly lactose-intolerant, and from what I have heard I can expect it to get much worse after surgery, so I am always looking for something lactose-free now. Be sure you get their low-carb, since their regular formulas have too much sugar. Other people also swear by unjury, but I have never tried it. I have found that most of the Protein drinks sold in grocery stores (or walmart) don't really work well for me, with the exception of Premier Protein from costco. Otherwise, I have gone to GNC or online to look into protein drinks/powder.

I am allowed up to 4 shakes a day, and clear liquids. I have only found I need 3 shakes (Breakfast, lunch, dinner), and I have 2-3 cups chicken broth (with a bit of Old Bay seasoning, a little spicy, very yummy!) during the day, plus a few bottles of Vitamin Water Zero and SF popsicles for dessert. That fills me up. The shakes in particular (with 30g protein) kill my hunger during the day. I suggest trying a few different shakes, and see if one works for you. Lots of people talk about unjury and Isopure; I use Premier Protein. After the surgery, we will all need to use protein shakes in order to get in enough protein, so start looking for something that will work for you.

Yesterday I started my 10-day pre-op liquid diet. My NUT indicated I am allowed up to 4 Protein shakes and Clear liquids only (including SF popsicles and SF jello). I am drinking 3 Premier Protein Shakes, 2 cups chicken broth, 2 Vitamin Water Zeros (20oz each), 48 ounces water, 2 SF popsicles, and 1 SF Jello per day. I am not physically hungry (which surprises me), but I do have "head hunger" (which I try to ignore). My total stats for the day are: Calories: 520 Carbs: 31g Fat: 9g Protein: 93g Sodium: 1785mg Sugar: 7g Does this sound OK? It seems terribly low to me, but maybe that is what it is supposed to be for the short time I am on the diet. I contacted my NUT, but she hasn't responded yet.

Wow, you've skipped to soft foods one week out. Just be aware that moving too fast to solid foods can harm your pouch;' it's still in the early stages of healing. You've really gotta listen to your doctor and NUT. Call your NUT and see if there is anything different you can do. Isopure has drinks that are not shakes in lots of different flavors that you might try. I've also heard a lot of people talk about Unjury. Be careful, and be safe. Good luck.

People say the first three days of pre-op diet is the worst, then it gets easier. They also say that the whole pre-op diet is the worst, and that after surgery it is easier. Here's hoping that's so!

I don't know. Ibuprofen is an NSAID, and those have a well-known tendency to cause ulcers in WLS patients. Refer here: https://asmbs.org/patients/life-after-bariatric-surgery http://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/life_after_bariatric_surgery/ http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/treatments/pharmacological/non-opioids/ask-expert-nsaids-after-bariatric-surgery http://barimd.com/universityofmiami/15/295 Just google around and you will see there is a clear consensus that NSAIDs are seriously dangerous for gastric bypass patients.

I'll jump on the "band" wagon here. My insurance company pays for WLS, but specifically not the band because of all of the difficulties and eventual revisions that have been experienced. May be another thing to look into.

Are you asking whether you should smoke cigars after surgery? No. What would your surgeon say? No. What would your NUT say? No.

I have been obese most of my adult life (since about 24 years old; I'm 49 now). About two years ago I decided to look into WLS, but after seeing the surgeon, who emphatically said I should have gastric bypass, I was freaked out and decided to try it on my own again. Fast forward two years, and I am 35 lbs. heavier. I am unable to go on amusement park rides with my 9-year-old daughter, or go hiking, biking, horseback riding, you name it. I even have difficulty bowling. I can't fly on an airplane without asking for a seatbelt extender, and I cannot fit any seat other than an aisle seat. I have high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, high cholesterol, severe sleep apnea, and metabolic syndrome. I am on 15 different medications to treat all of my conditions. So, in February I finally got fed up. Obviously I can't do this on my own. I decided I wanted to get the surgery so I could get my life back, get off most of my medications, and so I could do fun things with my daughter, live long enough to see her graduate, get married, and have kids of her own. I decided for myself to go with gastric bypass, and started a six-month medically supervised weight loss program (required by insurance for WLS). I finished it in August, got my insurance approval, and my surgery is scheduled for Sept. 11. I can hardly wait.

I don't know whether you have had surgery yet or not, but I will assume from the dates in your post your surgery is in mid- to late-September. Mine is Sept. 11, so I can only say what I have heard from other people. Many of the people with RNY say that after surgery they have a difficult time even looking at food, or that foods that used to call to them no longer do. By that time, you will also have two months of developing habits and dealing with food. You will probably have been around people eating regular foods, and you will have developed at least the beginnings of ways to cope with that. If you can avoid the eating portion, you might consider that. Of course, that means you will also miss out on conversations and socializing that goes on over dinner, but that might be a good compromise if you can do it. From your statements, it sounds like that might not be possible. It is probably obvious, but another thing you can do is bring your own food to eat. That is what I plan on doing. I have a high-Protein chili recipe that I will puree and bring with me with Vitamin Water Zero. I'll eat very slowly, I'll get full, and I will have no more urge to eat (I'm convincing myself of that right now!). Remember to let whomever is hosting the dinner know about your limitations and needs. If your family is supportive, they won't want you to suffer, and maybe they can brainstorm some things to do to accomodate you. Hang in there, I'm sure some other people here will have other options for you.

I updated my profile to include my surgery date, but it is not showing up on the information that shows up under my name on the side of posts. How do I modify what shows up there?

@@betrthnever I know it seems like with RNY we will have to give up all of the foods we enjoy, but I have heard a lot of RNY long-term veterans indicate that they are able to eat pretty much what they want, in moderation. The successful ones seem to stick to generally low-carb, high-protein healthy foods, with small portion sizes. It's these veterans that give me the optimism about my future after RNY. For an example, I would recommend reading the blog "The World According To Eggface" (http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/). I really enjoy reading her blog, it's got some incredible ideas, and gives you some idea of what to expect to be able to eat long-term after RNY. In the short term, say the first year after surgery, our diets will be much stricter because our bodies will enforce restrictions on us, but that's a good thing to give us time to learn how to eat properly. Then, once our bodies have adapted, we can use the new habits we have formed to ensure a lifetime of healthy eating and permanent weight loss. At least that is what I hope.

I think you have every right to be very concerned, and I am glad to hear you are going to be having a serious discussion with your doctor. Good luck!

Also I'd be careful about granola. Think of all of those little hard bits, rolling around in your pouch which is still healing. I dunno, just sayin. Also, has you doctor recommended regular foods to you now? I would not consider a granola bar a soft food myself.

@@betrthnever It looks like you are considering a revision from Lap-Band to RNY. Is that correct? If so, why? I ask because you say you are on the fence, and I am assuming you mean you are on the fence about getting the revision to RNY.

Sounds like classic dumping symptoms. Did you eat something just before this happened that might have caused it? Sorry you are feeling so bad, hope you feel better soon.

I am still pre-op, so take this for what it's worth. Just be aware that: 1. Everyone is different in what they can tolerate, and when. There is no one list that works for everyone. 2. It seems like every surgeon/nutritionist has a different timeline that they recommend; follow your doctor/nutritionist directions, not necessarily what someone else does. For instance, my doctor has me on full liquids for first two weeks post-op, then on pureed foods for the next two weeks, and only then on to soft foods for a few weeks. Oatmeal is not allowed until pretty far down the road, and at three weeks out even chicken would need to be pureed with Water. Everyone's different. Ask your doctor/nutritionist, then follow their directions. They should have had a class or at least a document on what to eat post-op; if not, ask lots of questions about it so there's no surprises.

Good luck on your decision. I decided to go with RNY, and I think it is the best solution for me, but this is a very personal decision. Fair warning: I am still a little under two-weeks pre-op for RNY, so I can only tell you what I have read from others on this site. Every person has a different reaction to various foods. Some people experience dumping syndrome if they have sugar, some people experience it with fats (or certain types of fats), some people don't experience it at all. Your experience cannot be predicted ahead of time for any specific food, you will just have to see what you tolerate. Many people are sensitive to sugar and fat though. That said, regardless of whether you can tolerate it, I would be very careful about thinking about having regular sugar on a daily basis (whether sleeve or RNY). Sugar provides no nutrient value and simply empty calories (23 calories per teaspoon), which is exactly what we are trying to avoid in our lives. I am pretty certain your nutritionist would also discourage this. As others here have suggested, it would be prudent to try some other zero-calorie sweeteners (not all are the same), or if necessary learn to drink your drinks (coffee, tea, etc.) without sweetening.

Yeah, and losing weight at 49 is harder than 41! There's always a silver lining.

That sounds like a lot of sugar for that much protein...

I've heard some great ideas here! I just gotta jump on the bandwagon here, forget about carbonated drinks forever. One of the few really forbidden foods, because of all the bad effects on your pouch. And it's not like you will only have one every other month, right? You are talking about drinking those things multiple times per week if not per day! A disaster waiting to happen.

Just a thought: did the hospital give you a phone number of a nurse or someone else to call if there is a problem? If so, you might want to call them and ask them.

Definitely you need to talk to your doctor/nutritionist. To give you an example list, here's the stuff I was told was allowed for the Full Liquids diet (after returning from the hospital): Clear Liquids 3-4 cups daily (Water, Crystal Light, fat-free chicken/beef/vegetable broth, propel zero, Powerade zero, sugar-free Jello, sugar-free popsicles) Full Liquids 3-4 cups daily or more (Protein shakes, nonfat/1% milk, low-fat or fat-free Lactade milk, soy milk, almond milk, plain nonfat yogurt, plain nonfat greek yogurt) You can flavor yogurt with crystal light or sugar-free jello powder. Add Protein Powder to above liquids to boost protein levels. Protein drinks should be <200cal, >15g protein, <5g sugar, <5g total fat. As I said, this is just a temporary list to tide you over until you speak with your doctor/nutritionist. I can't stress enough that they should be the ones to tell you exactly what you should be eating.

We have a housekeeper who comes in once every other week. We pay her $100 for about 3 1/2 hours. She cleans a master bedroom, master bath, kid's bedroom, kid's bath, my office, vacuums and mops the hardwood floors, and wipes down the kitchen. She works pretty hard during that time. We really like her, and I love it when I get home and the whole house smells totally clean and everything is sparkling! The hard part is trying to keep it all looking decent between her visits!

Very cool info! Thanks everyone.